After having so much fun writing the travel article about one of my dive trips, I decided to try my hand at writing an article for the food section.
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Since I have put on many tea parties over the years, I thought it would be fun to write about that. My take on it will be how to put on a beautiful tea party while also keeping it simple.
In the past I would roast the chicken for the chicken salad sandwiches. I would make a roast beef for the roast beef sandwiches. I would make scones and a cake for dessert. One time I even made my own lemon curd and clotted cream. The only thing I never did was bake the bread for the sandwiches.
For the recipes in the story, I took advantage of the great precooked things my favorite grocery stores have to offer. The food was still delicious and beautiful, but I saved myself hours of cooking time and a lot of mess.
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And, since I want this to be extra pretty for the paper, I also took advantage of having a professional photographer available to do the photos. We got to set up in the beautiful back yard at the home of the paper's garden expert.
I also got to use some of the lovely dishes I have collected over the years. Some I found at antique shops, some on eBay and some were my grandmother's. It was nice to be able to use them all to make a fun, eclectic set for the food.
It was a warm lovely day and the photographer from work, Leonard Ortiz, did a beautiful job.
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But those are not the photos you get to see here. You are stuck with mine.
Once the article is published (scheduled for April 2), I will share his far superior work.
I did get to help him, be sort of the photographer's assistant, during the shoot. Which was fun and educational. I learned a few tricks about lighting.
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And the recipes that have lived in my head for years? No recipes for now. Sorry. Those also will go up once they have been published in the paper.
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But really... how cute are these little desserts canapes?